1. Field
These inventions relate to floating nut plates and other fastener assemblies.
2. Related Art
Floating nut plates include a base or bottom plate with an opening and supporting a nut or similar fastener element, which is captured on the base by a retainer, canopy or cage element. The nut plate helps to hold components, for example panels, together when a fastener is engaged with the nut and tightened down, while still allowing movement between elements, for example in an assembly such as a wing-body fairing joint. The nut receives a bolt, screw or other threaded element passed through the opening and threaded into the nut. The opening is sized sufficiently to allow the nut and bolt to move laterally to accommodate expected movement between the elements being secured. Floating nut plates may be used in vehicles and aircraft, as well as in other applications.
In aircraft applications, the types and numbers of fasteners add significant weight to the final assembly. Panel fasteners, for example, may have a number of parts, most or all of which are metal. Metal is used for strength and other factors. However, the metal parts add appreciable weight to the final assembly. If the weight of a given part could be reduced, because of the number of individual parts, even small weight reductions in an individual component may add up to a significant weight reduction overall. Additionally, some metal materials may experience some corrosion and may also be incompatible with surrounding materials.